Combination carrying case and tool-holder for portable power tools

ABSTRACT

AN ASSEMBLY HAVING A CARRYING COVER SLIDABLY INTERFITTING WITH A BASE TO WHICH A POWER TOOL IS REMOVABLY MOUNTED, THE BASE BEING APERTURED FOR ADMITTING A WORKING ELEMENT OF THE ATTACHED TOOL AND FOR MOUNTING WORK GUIDING FENCES. THE BASE AND COVER ARE EACH U-SHAPED AND ASSEMBLED IN COMPLEMENTARY INVERTED RIGHT ANGULAR RELATION, THE BASE HAVING RIGID PERIPHERAL STABILIZING FLANGES FACILITATING ASSEMBLY OF THE COVER FOR HOUSING THE TOOL.

Jan. 19,1971 KDAMUONMQ 3,556,623

COMBINATION CARRYING CASE AND TOOL-HOLDER FOR PORTABLE POWER T OLS FiledSept. 26, 1968 O 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR KESTUTIS DAMIJONAITIS BY ,2M7? I 1. w, 1971 .DAMIJONAITIS 355636 COMBINATION C ,YING CASE ANDTOOLHOLDER FOR PORTABLE POWER TOOLS Filed Sept. 26, 1968 2 Sheets-Sheetz United States Patent 3,556,623 COMBINATION CARRYING CASE AND TOOL-HOLDER FOR PORTABLE POWER TOOLS Kestutis Damijonaitis, Newington, Conn.,assignor to The Stanley Works, New Britain, Conn., a corporation ofConnecticut Filed Sept. 26, 1968, Ser. No. 762,824 Int. Cl. A47b 95/02US. Cl. 312-244 4 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An assembly having acarrying cover slidably interfitting with a base to which a power toolis removably mounted, the base being apertured for admitting a workingelement of the attached tool and for mounting work guiding fences. Thebase and cover are each U-shaped and assembled in complementary invertedright angular relation, the base having rigid peripheral stabilizingflanges facilitating assembly of the cover for housing the tool.

This invention concerns a combination carrying case and toolholder forportable power tools.

A principal object of this invention is to provide an improvedcombination carrying case and toolholder assembly to which a portablepower tool is mounted in working posture and which affords firm supportfor a workpiece.

Another object of this invention is to provide an inexpensive assemblyof the above described type which is of simplified, compactconstruction.

A further object of this invention is to provide an as sembly of thetype described which is conditioned for use by bodily removing a covermember from a base member and simply inverting the base member.

Still another object of this invention is to provide an assembly of thetype described which may be either free standing or secured to asupporting surface.

Other objects will be in part obvious and in part pointed out more indetail hereinafter.

The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction,combination of elements and arrangement of parts which will beexemplified in the construction hereafter set forth and the scope of theapplication which will be indicated in the appended claims.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is an isometric view of a preferred embodiment of a combinationcarrying case and toolholder of this invention in assembled relation;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged isometric view of the carrying case and toolholdershown partly disassembled;

FIG. 3 is an isometric view showing a base member in inverted explodedrelation to a workpiece guide and a supporting surface; and

FIG. 4 is an isometric view of another type of tool mounted on the basemember shown on a reduced scale.

Referring to the drawings in detail, a preferred embodiment of acombination carrying case and toolholder assembly for portable powertools is shown. The assembly 10 comprises only two sheet metal partsincluding a base 12 and a cover 14, the base 12 being of a sufiicient-1y heavy gauge sheet material to provide a rigid member.

In the specific illustrated embodiment of this invention, the base 12and cover 14 are both of simplified U- shaped construction particularlysuited for quick and easy assembly in complementary inverted rightangular relation to provide an enclosure for a portable saber saw,sander or similar power tool such as the router shown at 15 for purposesof illustration.

The cover 14 includes a bridge 16 and a pair of depending legs 18 shownreleasably connected to the base 12 "ice with any suitable device suchas the spring biased thumb latch 20 mounted on each leg 18 for engagingtongue and button elements 22 fixed to the base 12. The bridge 16 of thecover 14 is provided a carrying handle 24 for transporting the assembly10.

The base 12 comprises a pair of opposed legs 26 connected by a flatbridge 28. A tool mounting shoe 30 is removably attached to an interiorface of the bridge 28 by screws 32 driven home flush with an exteriorface or work surface 33 of the base 12. The tool 15 is thus removablysecured within the base 12 and can be utilized interchangeably as eithera hand held or operatively mounted tool. When the cover 14 has beenremoved and set aside, the base 12 can be simply inverted to present thework surface 33 in a generally horizontally upwardly oriented posture. Arelatively large tool admitting aperture 34 is provided in the bridge28, and a suitable work element such as the saw blade 35 of theillustrated saber saw 15a (FIG. 4) then can be quickly installed.Appropriate guide fences such as 36 (FIG. 3) and 36a (FIG. 4) may beadjustably fixed to the bridge 28 at a number of convenient locationsthrough suitable apertures such as at 38 in the bridge 28, if needed andthe assembly 10 is conditioned for use.

So that a single flat piece of sheet material bent along two fold linescan be used to provide the cover member 14 in accordance with anotherfeature of this invention, rigid peripheral stabilizing flanges such asshown at 40 are integrally formed on the base 12 at right angles to thebridge 28. The aforementioned tongue and button element 22 is preferablymounted on the flange 40 which is also shown apertured at 42 forreceiving an auxiliary work guiding fence, not shown, particularlyadapted for use With a router shaper tool.

Additionally, the legs 26 of the base 12 are each provide-d withintegral peripheral flanges 44, 46 and 48 along their respectivevertical and horizontal edge portions. The vertically extending flanges44 and 46 of each leg 26 are preferably permanently joined to the bridgeflanges 40, as with spot welds 50, and cooperate to provide a confiningskirt portion for surface-to-surface engagement with the legs 18 of thecover 14 during storage and transport.

The horizontally extending flanges are turned inwardly at right anglestoward each other from the ends of the legs 26 and have openings 52 forreceiving fasteners 53 detachably securing the base 12 to a supportingsurface of a table 54, if desired, to provide a toolholder which is moresecure than when the base 12 is free standing. Opposite ends of theflanges 48 terminate adjacent the vertical flanges 44, 46 of the base 12and provide a guide abutment 56 adjacent flanges 44 and 46 for slidablyreceiving the legs 18 of the cover 14 within the confining skirtportions of the base 12. Thus, a mounted router 15 or other portablepower tool such as the saber saw 15a and their respective fences 36 and36a and other accessories may be readily housed in the base 12 which isreleasably locked to the cover 14, ensuring secure assembly, transportand storage of the combination carrying case and toolholder assembly. Inaddition, the flanges 48 afford bearing support for the bridge 16 of thecover 14 in assembled condition.

The assembly of this invention thus provides both a compact andconvenient tool mounting support, which is sufficiently rigid to providea practical work surface, and a tote case removably mounting andcompletely enclosing a standard power tool and its accessories. Byvirtue of the above described construction, the base alone need only beflanged and the cover may be formed simply along two fold lines toensure economical manufacture and ease of assembly and disassembly.

As will be apparent to persons skilled in the art, various modificationsand adaptations of the structure above described will become readilyapparent without departure from the spirit and scope of the invention,the scope of which is defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A two-piece combination carrying case nad toolholder assembly forportable power tools comprising a U-shaped base, and a separablecarrying cover of inverted U shape, the separable cover being slidablymovable relative to the base during assembly and disassembly, the baseand cover including locking means releasably securing the same incomplementary mutual right angular relation and providing a closedassembly for housing a power tool, the base and cover each including apair of legs and a bridge spanning the legs, the legs of the base eachhaving rigid peripheral flange means formed thereon directed toward theother leg and including horizontally extending flange means disposed inunderlying lapped relation to the bridge of the cover when the cover isassembled on the base, the horizontally extending flange means providingguide abutment means engageable with the legs of the cover whenassembled and upon being slidably moved relative to the base duringassembly and disassembly.

2. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the bridge of the base includes abottom surface serving as a work supporting surface having an openingfor admitting a tool, means being provided for mounting a power tool inoperative position on the base to project through the opening, the coverbeing bodily removable from the base upon releasing the locking meanssuch that thebase, upon being inverted, provides a toolholder having awork surface 4 surrounding an exposed projecting portion of the powertool.

3. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the peripheral flange means of thebase is in surface-to-surface engagement with peripheral edge portionsof the cover when in assembled relation therewith and provides a closedassembly of increased stability.

4. The assembly of claim 1 further including a carrying handle on thebridge of the cover, and the peripheral flange means on the baseincludes bridge flanges formed coextensively along side edges of thebridge of the base, the bridge flanges bieng secured to adjoining legflanges of the base and providing an integral skirt thereon confiningthe legs of the cover when it is assembled on the base.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,695,210 11/1954 Evans 206-16X2,731,167 1/1956 Moore 22M 2,741,390 4/ 1956 Moore 220U-Shape 2,759,5078/1956 Davis et al. 144285 2,786,500 3/1957 Unterfranz 144-285 3,036,6085/1962 Weber 143--l321X FOREIGN PATENTS 536,183 1/1957 Canada 143-1324DENNIS L. TAYLOR, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R.

